This invention concerns a public telephone system including payphones intended for communication with servers, such as information servers or servers for Web and Internet service. This invention concerns more particularly a communication interface ensuring a link between the payphones and all or part of servers accessed by these payphones.
A payphone network comprises payphones distributed over a given territory. The payphones are connected to a communication network, consisting for instance of the Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), with which they communicate using a modem.
A payphone network generally comprises one (or several) management servers, often called PMS (Payphone Management System), enabling the network operator to supervise the various telephones. This server""s function, connected via a modem to the switched telephone network, is to exchange with the telephones information concerning the operation of the telephony system.
Also, the payphone networks are faced with the need to provide other services than the simple transfer of the voice between two telephone stations. In particular, it becomes important to be able to offer access to private-type servers or otherwise to information and service servers on Internet and the Web.
The result is therefore that payphones are faced with the need to get connected with a number of servers. But the adaptation of a telephone and more specially a payphone to allow connection to information servers and particularly to Internet and the Web, creates many technical problems.
This invention therefore aims at solving these problems by simplifying and rationalizing the payphone connection with various servers required for the operation, thus facilitating the maintenance work of payphone system operators and thus the systems profitability.
The payphone system, according to the invention, comprises a number of payphones intended for communication with servers via at least one communication network.
According to the invention, the telephony system is characterized in that it comprises a communication interface able to monitor communications between payphones and at least a first group of servers.
According to another feature of the payphone system, the communication interface does not monitor communications between payphones and the servers that are not part of the first group above mentioned.
According to another feature of the payphone system, the communication interface is able to monitor communications between the whole of the said servers and the payphones.
According to another feature of the payphone system, the addresses of servers whose communications with the payphones are monitored by the communication interface are stored in the said communication interface memories, as the payphones then only have the communication interface address.
According to another feature of the payphone system, the communication interface includes means able to translate the information exchange sessions transiting via the said communication interface between the payphones and the servers, when these sessions are made with servers using communication protocols different from those of the payphones.
According to another feature of the payphone system, each of the payphones is equipped with Internet communication TCP/IP protocols and the communications between the said telephones and the said servers use the said protocols.
According to another feature of the payphone system, the servers accessed by payphones include information servers or servers providing Web and Internet services and/or private information servers and/or servers dedicated to the payphone management.
According to another feature of the payphone system, the communication interface includes means able to synchronize and regulate the information exchange sessions between the payphones and the servers, regarding sessions transiting via the communication interface.
According to another feature of the payphone system, the communication interface includes means able to authenticate information exchange sessions between the payphones and the servers, regarding sessions transiting via the communication interface.
According to another feature of the payphone system, the communication interface includes means able to detect possible virus concerning the files transferred during information exchange sessions between payphones and servers, regarding the sessions transiting via the said communication interface.